Fullmetal Orchid
by Oathkeeper85
Summary: Ed becomes deathly ill and the only thing that can save him is a rare plant. Can Dayna save him before fate claims him? An old story of mine. I'm sorry if it's not the best writing. EdXOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun was shining as the black train pulled into Central City Station. As everyone got off, Ed, Al and Dayna did the same. Ed was a State Alchemist known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, Al was his younger brother and inhabited a hollow suit of armour. Dayna was also a State Alchemist, her codename was the Power Shield.  
"That was a long train ride" said Ed.  
"I didn't mind it" said Al.  
"Hey, thanks for taking me to Dublith guys. It was fun." replied Dayna.  
"I STILL can't believe you got along with Teacher!"  
"What's your problem Ed? You guys seemed scared of her, she was really nice".  
"Nenenenene…she seemed really nice….nenenenene" Ed teased.  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing. Brrrrrrrrr." said Ed, pulling on his coat. He started to rub his arms and shivered.  
"Brother? What's wrong?"  
"Did the temperature just drop or something?"  
"No, it's pretty warm today. Are you ok Ed?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go"

They walked out of the train station and called a taxi. Ed told them that they should go to Headquarters to see Col. Mustang.  
"He might have new news about the Philosopher's Stone" said Ed. Then he turned his back and began to cough. He coughed numerous times and Al and Dayna looked at each other then back at Ed.  
"Ed, are you sure you're ok?"  
"Yes, must have had something in my throat. I think I got it"  
They closed the taxi's door and asked to be taken to Central Military Headquarters. The driver nodded and proceeded to their destination.

They reached HQ and got out of the taxi. Dayna and Al grew worried when Ed coughed a few more times as they walked to the front of the building. Al suggested that he go to the infirmary before they see Col. Mustang, Ed said that he was fine and they went to go to his office. On the way they bumped into 2nd Lt. Havoc.  
"Hey guys, back already?"  
"Hello Lt. how are you?" asked Al.  
"I'm ok. Just headin' over to Col. Mustang's office. There's a meeting going on, we're discussing the Scar issue again. You should attend"  
Havoc leads them to the office where they saw Hawkeye, Armstrong and the rest. Havoc and the others came in quietly, so not to interrupt Mustang and they sat down.  
"…is still roaming around. We have to find him and take him down. We are trying to find out where he's hiding and if he's killed anyone else since last. He's probably trying to stay as far away from the military as possible as to not attract attention."

Everyone was listening to the conversation when Ed shuddered again. His hands flew to his mouth and began coughing again; he then put one hand over his head as he was beginning to feel dizzy.  
Dayna turned and put her hands on Ed's back and started to slap her hand against it, thinking that he was choking on something.  
Everyone started to look over at him. Mustang cleared his throat,  
"Ed, are you alright? Why don't you go into the hall and get a drink to clear everything up?"  
Ed nodded and stood up and headed towards the door. As he made his way to the door, his coughs became more violent and he started to have trouble breathing. He pulled his hands away to get a breath of air and his eyes grew wide as he saw the blood on his gloved hand!  
'What's wrong with me?'  
He coughed and blood dribbled down the front of his clothes. His vision got blurry and felt limp as he fell to the ground. As he came down, he hit his head on a nearby chair.  
"ED!" Dayna screamed as Ed went down. She got out of her chair and ran to him as did others. She turned Ed over and saw that he was having trouble breathing. He was dripping with sweat and a bigger shock came to them as they saw the blood on his clothes and his mouth.  
"BROTHER! CAN YOU HEAR ME? BROTHER, WAKE UP!"  
"Get him to the infirmary! Now!" ordered Col. Mustang.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The evening sun glistened off the IV that was attached to Ed's arm. He was hooked up to so many machines and apparatuses that it looked like Ed was becoming a robot.  
Roy, Dayna, Al and the others stood outside the room. No one said anything; the doctor was in the room, doing tests as he was trying to figure out what was wrong with Ed. Al sat still and Dayna twiddled her thumbs together and bouncing her leg, with impatience.  
"I can't take it anymore! I need to see him now!" cried Dayna, sitting up quickly.  
"Hold it! The doctor said that what he has might be contagious, we can't go in yet" said Roy.  
"Well, I can't wait"  
"As your commanding officer, I'm telling you to SIT DOWN NOW!"  
"Or else what? What are you going to do?"  
"I can have you court-marshalled, or I can think of worse things!"  
Dayna was about to open her mouth to say something when Al took hold of her arm. She stopped and looked at him.  
"Dayna, I'm worried too. I'm sure that the doctor will be out soon. We have to be strong for brother, please sit down".  
Dayna sat down and kept her mouth shut.

Five minutes later, the door opened and the doctor emerged. A look of shock came over his face as everyone raced towards him, looking for answers.  
"Is he going to be alright?"  
"What's wrong with him? Please tell us."  
"Is it contagious? Should I have everyone quarantined?"  
The doctor put his hands up and everyone calmed down. He cleared his throat and began to give his findings.  
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that what has is not contagious; the bad news is that he has contracted a rare disease."  
Everyone was in shock.  
"What kind of disease?" asked Roy.  
"It is incredibly rare. We don't have a true name for it yet, but everyone calls it the 'Disease of Departure'. There have only been three known cases of it, unfortunately, all of the victims have left this earth from this illness".  
"Is the disease really that horrible?" asked Hawkeye.  
"Yes. It's quite horrific to watch the victim. The boy has already began the first stage of the disease: violent coughing, leading him to expel blood from the body. I hate to say it, but the body actually starts to deteriorate as it progresses. Different stages can include trouble breathing, vomiting, expelling more blood, extreme pain and also seizures"

Dayna covered her mouth in complete shock. Tears were pouring down her face and she turned to look through the window into Ed's room, where he was hooked up to a machine to help him breathe. She placed her hand on the glass and stared at him, wishing that he got up and he was better.  
"Isn't there anything that we can do?" asked Al "I want to help my brother get well. I'll do anything!"  
The doctor removed his glasses and polished them on his coat.  
"I think that there might be a way. I read up on a certain flower that, if given at the right time, can stop the disease. Unfortunately, it's very rare. The previous person to have the disease didn't get the treatment in time and they died."  
Al sighed and turned when he heard a noise behind him. He and the others turned to find the noise.

Dayna entered the room and pulled up a chair beside Ed. She sat down and watched him breathe. He seemed fine, but made slight wheezing noises when he inhaled. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as Dayna stroked Ed's hair, she undid it when they got to the hospital, so he wouldn't have to lie on the braid.  
She moved her hand and saw the sweat come off his face; she wiped it off with a nearby cloth.  
'He's getting warm'.  
Dayna wet the cloth and placed it on Ed's forehead and then she sat back down. She then grabbed his left arm and put it to her face.  
'Ed. Please wake up. Come back to me and Al. Please Ed.'

Al sighed again when he saw Dayna in there. He hated seeing her like this, Ed hated making her cry, but this was completely unexpected. Al turned around to see the doctor returning from his office with a file in his hands.  
"Doctor? How could my brother have gotten this disease?"  
The doctor looked up at him, "I'm not sure, the sickness is not contagious nor hereditary. It seems to come out of nowhere onto some unsuspecting individual, it's completely random."  
The doctor opened the file he held in his hands and was flipping through the papers.  
"What is that doctor?" asked Mustang.  
"A few notes that I acquired about the 'Disease of Departure'. The disease time also depends on the person."  
"Disease time?" asked Al.  
"The time counting down before the person dies, it differs from person to person. The last person who got the sickness died within sixty hours!"  
"How old was the last victim?"  
"Not that old. Early to mid-twenties."  
"Did you find anything on the flower that you spoke of earlier?"  
"Yes. Here it is. It's called the 'Orchid of New Life'. It's a bluish-white flower that grows in some mountains just east of here near a town called Pineal. Here's a picture of it that someone drew."  
"So we have to bring this flower here and brother will get better?"  
"Yes, but there's a catch. Once the orchid has been picked, it has to be back here within twelve hours. The nutrients and other parts of the plant will only live for that long, any more and it will be useless."

Mustang put his hand to his chin and thought something over.  
"We'll have to send someone to Pineal to get this orchid, if we have any hopes of saving Ed."  
Mustang was about to choose a person when the door from behind them slammed shut. Everyone turned around to see Dayna standing in the doorway.  
"I'll do it and I won't hear no for an answer!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zip.  
Dayna had just finished packing her backpack, the whole time, not saying a word to anyone. Al and Roy stood behind her as she finished.  
"You don't have to do this. I'll send someone else"  
"No"  
"Dayna, I'll go. You can stay here with Brother"  
"I said no!" she yelled, turning around. Her eyes were still red and puffy from before. She had an angry look on her face as she said it.  
"I already said that I wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. I want to go, I'm doing this for him and no one is going to stop me"  
Dayna stood up straight and fixed her clothes and hair. She picked up her backpack from on top of the bed and put it on her back. She headed towards the door where she passed Al and Roy in the doorway, keeping her head down, she said,  
"Al? I know that you want to do this for Ed, but I want you to do something for me"  
"What is it?"  
"I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Ed. He needs your strength with him more than ever right now. You can help him and keep him safe until I get back. Can you do that for me?"  
Al looked down into her face and looked into her emerald eyes. Al finally knew the real reason she wanted to go, Ed had saved her life back in her hometown and she wanted to repay him. He acknowledged this and nodded in acceptance.  
"Alright. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Brother, in case something happens"

Dayna walked down the hall when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned to see Roy running down the hall after her. He stopped short of her and tried to catch his breath.  
"Colonel? Is something wrong?"  
"Are you sure that you want to do this? I can send someone else,"  
"I know that you are trying to protect me and I know that Ed and Al would do the same, but I have to do this. Now I have to go, I don't have a lot of time now to find the flower and get it back in time for Ed"  
Roy looked at her and smiled,  
"I guess that nothing I say will change your mind"  
"Nope"  
Dayna was about to turn when Roy tapped her on the shoulder.  
"Here, I got you a ticket for the train to Pineal. In a few hours, I'll send someone to wait for you there to bring you back"  
Dayna took the ticket from his hand and smiled. Roy turned around and headed down the hallway when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked down to see Dayna hugging him.  
"Don't worry, I'll be back in no time"  
She let go of him and hurried down the hallway.

**

Dayna got on the train that was head for Pineal. In her bag were a map of the area and a picture of the orchid that she traced earlier.  
She sat down in her seat as the train started to move. She took out the picture of the orchid and looked at it, going over the facts and descriptions over in her head. She put the drawing away and took off the chocker that she wore around her neck. It was a present from Ed that he had specially made for her when she became a State Alchemist.

She rubbed her thumb over the insignia that was on the front, a winged snake on a cross, and opened it up. Inside were small pictures- one with her, Ed and Al when they first became a team, one with them when they went to the beach, a faded picture of her mother that she saved from her house fire and one with just Ed eating a shish kabob.  
She loved that picture.  
As she looked at the tiny picture, a tear ran down her face. She wiped it away and closed her locket and put it back around her neck. Dayna turned to look out her window to see the scenery pass by. She could still see Ed in the hospital; hooked up to life support and she turned away and shook her head.  
'I must stay strong. Al, Roy and especially Ed are counting on me and I can't let them down. I will get the orchid back in time and save you. I promise. Ed…. I'm doing it for you'.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dayna opened her eyes as she heard someone shout that they had reached Pineal. She turned her head to look out the window and laid her eyes on the small mountain town. It reminded her a little of Dublith, but the area was surrounded by mountains and cliffs.  
She yawned and stretched her arms up high and got up and picked her bag of the seat next to her. Dayna walked to the door and got off the train.

The town of Pineal was a busy little place. Everyone was walking around and some were watching the people as they got off the trains. She decided that the best way to start off was to ask someone where the area was to find the flowers and to get some climbing equipment.  
She walked up to an old man who was sweeping the floor nearby.  
"Excuse me?"  
The old man looked up to see who was addressing him,  
"Hello there miss. Can I help you with anything?"  
"Can you tell me where I can buy some mountain climbing equipment?"  
"The mountains are very dangerous this time of year. Are you sure you want equipment?"  
"Yes. Please tell me."  
The old man stood up straight and turned to the town's map behind him. He looked at it for a minute and then showed Dayna a nearby store where she could go. She bowed in thanks and quickly headed for the place on the map.

Dayna reached the place on the map to where she could buy some climbing equipment and entered the store. A middle-aged man was behind the counter, reading a magazine when she entered the store.  
"Can I help you miss?"  
"Yes. I would like to buy some climbing equipment"  
"I'm sure you've heard that the mountains are unsafe this time of year"  
"Yes, but I need to do something on the mountains"  
Dayna reached into her bag and fished out the picture of the orchid and handed it to the man,  
"Heave you ever seen this flower before?"  
"Yes, in fact I have"  
"It's called the 'Orchid of New Life' and I need to go to the mountains to which this flower grows on"  
The man pulled out a map and showed Dayna the mountains where the orchid grew. They were located just a little out of town. He then pulled out some equipment and placed them on the counter.  
"Are you sure that you want to do this?"  
"I have to"  
Dayna paid for her stuff, put it on and headed out the front door, thanking the man.  
"Be careful kid", he said as she closed the door.

Dayna took a taxi to the base of the mountain, since it would've taken her a long while to walk there from the store. She looked at the large rock that stood in front of her; she had never seen anything so large in her whole life.  
"The orchid's up there somewhere. Ok, the plan is try to get up there as fast as I can, get the flower, get down and back as soon as I can and save Ed."  
She walked up to the mountain and looked at all the places where she could grab. Dayna adjusted the equipment and grabbed onto a ledge and started to climb.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Al sat in Ed's room reading. Every once in a while, he would glance over to look at his ailing brother. Ed's skin had become very pale and his breathing had relaxed, but still have slight problems. Al had turned to wipe the sweat off of Ed's forehead when he winced. Al finished and turned back to his book to let Ed relax.  
He didn't see Ed move his arm to touch his head and wince again. Ed slightly opened his clouded over eyes, but he couldn't see anything and didn't know where he was. He felt fine and was about to go back to sleep when an immense surge of pain pounded though his head as if someone had plunged a dagger into his head and a pair of hands were proceeding to use the gash to rip his skull open!

Al jumped out of his chair as Ed screamed, his hands holding his head and trashing violently in his bed. Al ran to the door and threw it open and ran down the hallway calling for the doctor and lucky for him that the doctor was talking to Col. Mustang.  
"HURRY! PLEASE HURRY DOCTOR!"  
"What is it Alphonse?"  
"It's brother! There's something wrong. He was just lying there and all of a sudden he started screaming and…and…OH GOD! HELP HIM!"  
They ran back to the room where they saw Ed screaming and trashing. Roy ran forward grabbed him and threw him back down on the bed, holding him there as he struggled.  
"Ed! Ed! Calm down! Stop It! Ed!"  
The doctor ran out of the room for a minute and came back with a needle and put it into Ed's arm. Ed stopped screaming and his body started to relax and Roy loosened his grip. They bent him forward as Ed vomited, including more blood into a bucket that the doctor had put in front of him.

They lay Ed back down into the bed and reattached the IV's and everything else that he ripped out of himself during his thrashing about.  
The doctor sighed,  
"He's getting worse and he's going through the stages much too quickly"  
"What do you mean by that Dr.?"  
"Well, Col., to put it straight forward. He's dying, but I'll need to take a few more tests to find out more."  
The doctor turned and left, leaving Al and Roy in the room. Al turned back to be near Ed.  
"Brother…"  
Roy headed to the door; he brought up his fist to his face and then hammered it into the wall, forming a hole,  
"SHIT!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The sun's heat was getting to her as she climbed higher and higher. Hours had passed since she started, but Dayna knew she couldn't stop, too much was at stake.  
She was beginning to worry, all the time she had been climbing, she didn't see a single flower and hoped that the sun didn't kill them all off. She was getting tired and there were no places that she could use to relax for a few minutes.  
'I can't stop now. I promised Ed and Al that I would get the flower back to them in time. I can't fail them now, I can't. Ed's life is depending on me'

Dayna now struggled as she climbed higher. Her fingers were becoming dry and raw from the mountain surface; they were also becoming weak from her hanging on in one place as she tried to find another support from time to time. Sweat poured from her face as the heat increased. Dayna was starting to become dizzy; she turned to look down to she how far she had climbed.  
As she looked down, she thought that she saw something on the ground below. It was a dark figure from where she was; it could be a person or a hungry creature on the prowl. She tried not to think about it and continued to climb.

After a few more minutes of climbing, she stopped to catch her breath.  
'In a few minutes, I'll keep going. I just want to catch my breath and try to relax the muscles'.  
When she was ready she looked up again to see where she was and where to go, when she saw something up ahead of her. It had a bluish-white tinge to it as it swayed in the light and wind. The green stem and leaves were also vibrant in the light.  
A smile came over her face. It was the flower, the 'Orchid of New Life'! It was there just a few feet ahead of her and it looked like a nice big flower too. Dayna took a deep breath and continued to climb, when she hit a problem. Just as she reached the flower, she ran out of places to grab onto, so she decided to reach with her left hand for the flower.  
The tips of her fingers brushed up against the leaves and finally she managed to grab a hold of the stem and removed the flower form the ground.  
As soon as she removed the orchid from the soil, a rock from under her foot crumbled into dust and she slipped. Dayna started to fall, she slapped her hands together and tried to find something to grab onto to transmute something to save her, but it didn't work. She screamed as she plummeted from the mountain!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ed had seemed fine now since the doctor gave him the shot a few hours ago. The doctor was giving him tests earlier and decided to give him a bit of a rest before continuing. So Al sat by him again, hoping that everything would be fine now. His breathing was almost back to normal and Al hoped that it was possible that Ed was fighting back and getting rid of the disease so that no more would have to be done to him or happen to him because of it.  
Al decided to get up and he leaned down to Ed,  
"Brother, I'll be right back. I'm just going to get you some water and maybe you would like a drink later. I'll be right back, I promise"  
He headed out the door and closed it behind him as he made his way to get some cold water for Ed.

Ice, cold water filled the cup that Al placed under the tap. Some of it had splashed onto his arm so he had to wipe it off so that he wouldn't rust.  
"Ahh, nice cold water for Brother. I hope that this makes him feel better," Al said as he started to walk back to the room. He knew that Mustang and Hawkeye were coming later to see how Ed was doing and he wanted to get there so that he could keep an eye on him before they arrived.  
Al opened the room, keeping his eye on the cup of water so that he wouldn't spill it. As he opened the door, he heard a strange noise. He raised his head and found Ed flailing in bed, his body jerking every which way and making the most horrible gurgling noises! Al rushed over to see that Ed's faded eyes were completely glazed over and blood was slowly oozing out of his mouth!

Al stuck his head put to scram for the doctor when he saw the doctor, Mustang and Hawkeye coming down the hallway.  
"DOCTOR! HELP!"  
They looked at Al and ran into the room to see Ed.  
"What's going on?"  
"He's having some sort of seizure!"  
Roy ran over and pinned Ed to the bed again.  
"Sir, we need to help him now or else he won't live through this!"  
"What do we do?"  
The doctor turned to Hawkeye, who was covering her mouth and standing in the corner in shock,  
"Young lady, grab me that bottle of pills there; Col. you need to prop him up and Al, hold him as best as you can"  
Everyone did as they were told. Riza handed the pills over to the doctor. He opened the bottle and handed one of the pills to Mustang.  
"You need to force-feed him one of these. This will stop the fit and sedate him for a while"  
Roy nodded and, as Al held Ed's jerking body, Roy held Ed's head, opened his mouth and dropped the pill in and held his mouth closed.  
Everything seemed to be fine when Ed started to make chocking noises. Roy moved his hand back form Ed's mouth and then Ed opened his mouth. Blood poured from Ed's open mouth like a fountain!  
"Col.! Don't hold his head up like that or he'll drown! Put it forward!"  
Roy followed the doctor's orders and as the blood flowed, Roy saw the pill float away.  
"He didn't swallow it. Give me another one!"

Roy put the new pill in Ed's mouth and held his mouth and nose closed. Ed made and face and was having trouble swallowing it.  
"SWALLOW IT DAMMIT!"  
With his free hand, Roy put it to Ed's throat and rubbed it until he felt Ed swallow. He then opened his mouth and saw that the pill was gone.  
"It's gone", he sighed.  
He let go of Ed's head and tried to lay him back down while the other doctor's came in to move him while they cleaned up, but Al was still holding onto Ed's body.  
"Al? You can let go now"  
He looked up to see Hawkeye looking at him. Al immediately let him go and rushed out of the room. He stood outside of the room in the hall, covered in the blood Ed expelled, before he quickly sat down and buried his face into his hands. He said Ed's name before he let out a scream.

Roy was wiping the blood off of his uniform as the doctor approached him.  
"I have some bad news,"  
"What is it doctor?"  
"The boy is going through the stages too fast. I hope that girl of yours gets here soon."  
"How long does he have?"  
"Not long"  
"HOW LONG?"  
"About fourteen hours or so, give or take"  
Hawkeye was holding back tears as she went outside to comfort Al. Roy looked outside the window to see Riza telling Al the news and her leaning forward to hug the suit of armor.  
'Dayna. Where are you? Ed doesn't have a lot of time left. I hope that you will be back soon'.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She felt a cold sensation on her forehead when she opened her eyes. When her vision came back, Dayna looked around at her surroundings. She seemed to be inside of a tent, but she had no idea where she was exactly. Dayna tried to get up, but she was having some trouble.  
She managed to get up and she looked at her left arm, which seemed to be wrapped up in something. Dayna then looked down to see a jacket, she figured that someone had put it there; it seemed odd because the last thing that she remembered was finding the flower and then the ground racing up towards her.  
'Where am I? Well, wherever I am, I can't stay. I have to get back'  
Dayna pushed the jacket off of her and got up on her knees and proceeded to get up onto her feet. She managed to almost get there, then there was a noise outside and someone came into the tent.

Dayna's eyes grew wide when she looked upon him. She had never seen anyone like him before; he looked back at her with an unsure stare. She hadn't seen anyone like him before, but from his features; she knew who he was.  
His eyes were as red as rubies and his dark skin was like the sand of the desert and his hair was white.  
"You shouldn't be getting up so soon"  
Dayna sat back down onto the jacket.  
"Are you afraid of me?"  
She nodded her head.  
"I guess you know who I am and what I've done"  
"Y-Yes"  
"Is that the only reason why you're afraid of me?"  
"No"  
"What else is there?"  
"Then you probably know who I am also"  
Scar nodded and entered the tent. Dayna looked at her arm again, she then looked back at Scar.  
"Why did you treat me? You probably know that I'm a State Alchemist and I want to know why you even bother to treat me if you're going to kill me"  
"You have something that you have to do"  
Dayna stared at Scar. What did he mean? So, she decided to ask him,  
"Why else would you climb up a mountain like that just for some flowers, even if you know that it's incredibly dangerous and stupid?"  
She turned her attention onto the ground. Her cheeks were on fire; he didn't want to kill her because he knew that she was trying to save someone? It didn't make any sense. She decided to tell him anyway.  
"I guess you know who Fullmetal is huh?"  
"Yes, I do"  
"Well, he's a friend of mine and he's really sick. The only thing that can heal him is a flower called 'The Orchid of New Life' and it grows at the top of those mountains. If I don't get the flower back to him within twelve hours after the flower has been picked, he will die. That's why I was climbing before; I wanted to help save him. I climbed the mountains even though I'd heard that they were dangerous, but I had too. After I got the flower, I can't remember anything after I fell"

Scar sat there for a while, listening to her story. He turned his head slightly to look at her, tears where starting to roll down her face and she was rubbing her wrapped arm. He turned to face her,  
"I was walking back to my tent. I've been living out here because I know that any State Alchemists wouldn't spot me here. I almost made it back to my tent when I heard you screaming, I looked up and saw you falling. You were trying to do alchemy, trying to save yourself. As you came down, you hit your arm on a ledge; I ran and caught you before you hit the ground. It came as a surprise to me when I saw the pocket watch, but when I saw the flower in your hand, I knew that you did this stupid thing for a very important reason"  
Scar got up and walked towards a box in the corner of the tent, he opened it. Dayna was relieved when she saw the flower in a little vase, safe and sound. Then a sudden thought came over her mind,  
"How long have I been here?"  
"A few hours. Is something wrong?"  
"The train station! I have to get to the train station. I need to get this flower back to Central right away or Ed will die!"  
Scar looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes.  
"Alright, but I can't let you go alone in your condition, I will escort you there"  
"Thank you, but I don't know about you. Col. Mustang said that he was ending someone there to meet me and take me back to Central. I don't want you to get into trouble after all that you've done for me"  
"I'm sure that we'll think of something on our way there"  
Dayna smiled at him,  
"Thank you. You know what, you're not that scary after all"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The cool water from the bottle was what Furey needed. It was very hot, even in the shade at the train station. He had been sent there by Col. Mustang a few hours ago and was told there to wait for Dayna for when she returned. More shade appeared, when his companion showed, but at points he wished it were someone else.  
The whole trip there Armstrong talked about his family's heritage and the wondrous attributes of them.  
"I hope Ms. Simerion arrives soon"  
"Don't worry, she won't let anything happen. She's really tough, even if she doesn't show it"  
They both knew how sick Ed was after what Col. Mustang and Lt. Hawkeye told them. They also knew that Dayna was risking her own life to save him in anyway that she could.

Dayna had only been in the military for about eight months and she spent all her time with Ed and Al. Furey didn't meet her until her third month in.  
'She's kind and a very smart person. I wish I wasn't so shy, then I can go up and talk to….'  
"Is the heat getting to you Master Sergeant?"  
"Huh…what?"  
"Your cheeks are turning red. I was wondering if the heat was making you ill"  
"No! I'm fine. I just hope Dayna gets here soon"  
Armstrong decided to look around and Furey sighed when he went. Armstrong walked out into the middle of the aisle and looked around when something caught his eye.  
"Someone's coming"  
Furey looked up and walked out to Armstrong and turned in the direction he was looking.

A man was walking towards them. He looked like he was in a hurry for he moved quickly towards them. They didn't realize who he was until he was starting to get very close to them.  
"It's Scar!" said Armstrong, putting on his gloves and Furey drew his gun.  
"Wait Major, doesn't he look a little hunched over to you?"  
"Yes, you're right. It's like he's carrying something"  
Scar stopped and to Armstrong and Furey's surprise, Dayna popped her head up over Scar's!  
"MAJOR! KAIN! HEY, I'M BACK"  
They cautiously walked over towards Scar.  
"Dayna. Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine"  
"What happened to your arm?"  
"It's nothing. I got the flower, so we can go back to Central"  
"And you caught Scar. Master SGT. go and get the handcuffs, we'll take him in"  
"MAJOR! Wait! You can't take Scar in. Please, he saved my life when I fell from the cliff and then he carried me here. I don't want him hurt. In exchange for my life being saved, I'm going to let him keep his"

Armstrong looked into her tired eyes. Tears were forming, not from sadness, but from the exhaustion that she had been through. He smiled back at her,  
"Equivalent Exchange. Alright, we won't take him in or report that he's here"  
"Thank you Major"  
Dayna was trying to lower herself off Scar's back when she slipped. Furey jumped forward and caught her in his arms.  
"Sorry, I guess my legs are still a little tired"  
She asked Furey to turn towards Scar and she held out her hand.  
"I want to say thank you again"  
Scar took her hand.  
"I guess God decided to send an angel into the military. I hope you get well and Fullmetal too"  
Scar headed back to the mountains, but he turned back once more to smiled back in Dayna's direction.  
'Ishbala must had given you a great purpose in life, little one. I hope you reach it and do it justice'

Armstrong and Furey watch Scar until he vanished from view.  
"Strange things sure happen whenever she or the Elric brothers are around"  
"You said it"  
Armstrong looked down at Furey,  
"I think I'll drive us back to Central, you seem to have your hands full"  
Furey didn't know what he was talking about until he remembered Dayna was in his arms; he looked and found that she had fallen asleep, with the orchid in her hand.  
"I…um…um…yes sir, good idea," stuttered Furey, his cheeks turning red.  
Everyone piled into the car. Furey sat in the back with Dayna and Armstrong took off his jacket and put it over Dayna. Then he got into the front and drove in the direction of Central.

Armstrong drove a little fast to get there in time and on the way, he looked into the review mirror and smiled. He realized something about Furey and he wasn't going to tell.  
Dayna was still sleeping and when she turned, her head landed on Furey's shoulder. When this happened, he started to sweat and blush like crazy, but kept very still the whole time.  
Armstrong laughed silently to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Al sat outside the room. He was scared to go back in after all that had happened, sitting there for hours. Every once in awhile, he would glance over his shoulder to check on Ed. At points, he wished that he didn't.

Ed looked half-dead. He lost all the color in his skin and had a grayish tone to it. The sweat dripped down his clammy skin. He had rings under his eyes and his breathing had taken a turn for the worse, he had to wear a mask to give him air.  
A nurse came in about every ten minutes to check on him and the instruments; write something down and then leave.

Al knew that the nurse would take care of everything, so he got up off the bench and walked down the hall. He looked at the children coming into the hospital, carrying flowers and toys for friends and family members.  
No one came for Ed. Al was starting to think that no one would be coming for him, that Ed would fade form the world and he would be the only one who cared. He thought that Dayna would never show up or that she would come too late.

Al looked at the clock. He remembered that the doctor said that his brother had only a short time left, about fourteen hours.  
The clock showed that there was only a few small hours remaining and it looked like he would be gone before that.  
Al turned his head back to the direction of Ed's room and at that moment, a light above the door flickered and then went out.  
"Brother…"  
Al headed towards the front door to go outside. There were some flowers growing near a tree, Al looked at them and then he raised his foot and put it down on the flowers.  
"I'm sorry Brother, we tried"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The car pulled up to the front of the hospital. It barely slowed down before people started to emerge from the car, They ran up to the front doors and they called for a doctor.  
"Goodness! What's all the commotion?"  
"Doctor! We've got it! Have someone call Col. Mustang and let him know"  
The doctor turned his attention to the young girl that was with the men.  
"My dear, your arm. We need to get that looked at"  
"No doctor, with all due respect, I want to know if the orchid is still useful"  
She handed him the flower and he examined it. When he was finished, he passed it to a nearby nurse,  
"Quickly, make the serum and bring it to me"  
"Yes, Doctor"

The doctor turned back to Armstrong, Furey and Dayna, with a big smile on his face.  
"You made it in time, but I only hope the boy can make it for just a while longer. His younger brother left some time ago, we haven't seen him since."  
Dayna had a worried look on her face,  
"Al left? Why would he do that? He promised that he would watch over Ed until I came back"  
"I'm sure he'll come back Dayna. Maybe he just needs to clear his head for a while" said Furey, trying to cheer her up.  
The doctor took Dayna by the hand and led her to a room where they wrapped up her arm and put it in a sling.  
When they came out, they nurse arrived with the serum and handed it to the doctor. Also at that moment, Mustang and Hawkeye arrived.

The group headed down the hallway towards Ed's room.  
Armstrong explained to Mustang that Al disappeared a few hours ago. Roy explained that he was too busy and felt bad that he couldn't come over to see Ed.  
They had quite a shock when they entered the room and saw Ed's condition, Dayna started to cry and wanted to go towards Ed, but Hawkeye held her back.  
The doctor examined Ed and checked the serum in the syringe.  
"I'm advising you now, if you're squeamish, please turn the other way"  
"Why is that doctor, aren't you just going to put it in his arm?"  
"No, unfortunately it's not that easy. We have to inject it directly into his heart!"  
"WHAT!" cried Dayna.  
"It's the only way, the heart is still strong. Now I'm going to need someone to come and hold him down, in this state he won't move, but it's just to be safe"  
Armstrong came forward, grabbed Ed's arms and held him to the bed while the doctor got the needle ready.  
He raised it over his head and brought it down. Dayna turned her head as he brought it down.

"Dayna, it's ok. You can look now"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, plus your cutting off the circulation to my arm"  
She opened her eyes and looked into Riza's. She loosened her grip.  
"Sorry"  
Dayna turned her head to look at Ed. He still looked the same, the doctor said that it wouldn't take long before the serum did its work.  
"Now we wait"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The blurry, squeaky fan came into plain view. After a while, it became clear and a moan followed. The breathing that had been wheezing before had settled back to normal.  
The line of view came around the room and the ears picked up a soft breathing noise. They turned to the left to see a head of blond hair sleeping beside the bed. The left hand lifted up and touched the person's head, they moaned and a girl's head face lifted of the bed.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"  
Dayna got up and saw into the two golden eyes that were staring back at her. She took his hand and pressed it against her face. Tears started to roll down her cheeks.  
"Where am I?"  
"At the hospital. You've been here for a few days"  
"Was I sick? I don't remember anything"  
Dayna sat back and told Ed of what happened over the days he's been sick. She told him about the flower and about the disease that the doctor said had taken hold of him.

Afterwards, Ed thought about what Dayna told him. He looked at the bandages that were on him, especially the one over his heart. They confused him.  
He then looked over at Dayna and saw that her left arm was in a sling.  
"What happened!"  
"Just a little accident on the cliff. Don't worry, I'll be fine"  
Ed had a sad face on him,  
'Dayna risked her life to save me and she almost died. She really is something'  
He turned to her again and gave her a smile.  
Dayna returned the smile and got up and left the room. She came back a few minutes later with Col. Mustang, Lt. Hawkeye and the doctor.  
"Well, someone look a lot better. You scared me there Fullmetal"  
"Geez Col., I didn't know you cared" said Ed sarcastically.

The doctor looked Ed over and then he finished telling Ed of what happened while Dayna was away, his version scared Ed more.  
"Oh God. I'm even surprised that I'm alive"  
"You're very lucky my boy, you looked like you weren't going to make it a few hours ago. We're just happy that Ms. Dayna got here in time"  
Ed lay back down, when a thought crossed his mind,  
"Where's Al?"  
Hawkeye stepped forward and told Ed that Al left the hospital and they haven't seen him since.  
"But, we don't think he went far, he might come back soon"  
Ed turned to Dayna.  
"Can you help me up?"  
"What?"  
"I'm getting tired of lying down, I need to move around for a while"  
"Sure, just a sec."  
She put Ed's arm around her neck and helped him off the bed. Ed was having a little trouble, but it really didn't take him long to get walking again. She walked him outside toward the front door.

The sunlight was just the thing Ed needed to make him feel better, but then he spotted something by a tree. They walked over and saw that some flowers had been crushed, but what caught their attention was the footprint left behind.  
"Al"  
Ed tried to figure out where he could have gone, when Mustang and Hawkeye joined them outside.  
Ed walked out a little further and turned to look down the street, when he saw something walking towards the hospital.  
Ed's eyes filled with tears as the figure came closer.  
"Al…"  
Everyone turned to hear Ed's comment when he darted down the street.  
"Ed! Come back here!" called Mustang.  
Ed ran down the street, ignoring the people giving him odd stares because he was still wearing a hospital gown, all he wanted was to get to his brother.

Al looked up to see Ed running towards him and was getting ready to give him a hug when a metal fist clocked him at the side of the head!  
"Brother? What…?"  
Ed crouched down onto the ground, where Al was.  
"Why did you run off? You left me to die?"  
"I'm sorry Brother. It was just to much too take all at once and I started to doubt things and I know that I shouldn't have. Please forgive me"  
Ed looked at Al and then he smiled. Dayna walked over to them and knelt down.  
"Al, I forgive you. Don't worry about it"  
Dayna laughed and then she smacked Al in the head!  
"Al! Don't you ever do that again!"  
Then she hugged both of them.  
"Ed, I'm so happy that you're alright"  
"Don't you worry. It's gonna take a lot more to kill me, believe it. You can't get rid of me that easily"  
They decided to have a good laugh as they all walked back to the hospital, alive and well.

The End


End file.
